De Re Militari Sessions at the 37th Congress on Medieval Studies

2-5 May 2002, University of Western Michigan

The Congress on Medieval Studies was recently held, and De Re Militari had five sessions, all of which had strong attendance.  

Session I: Special Address 

Presider: Clifford J. Rogers, United States Military Academy - West Point

"War and Sanctity: Saints' Lives as Sources for Early Medieval Warfare", John France, Univ. of Wales - Swansea

Professor France examines what kind of information can Saints' Lives reveal about medieval military history.  He first gives some caution about using these sources, noting that it is sometimes difficult to tell what time-period these Lives come from, and that readers will only get fragmentary evidence on any aspects of military history.  But these sources are important in revealing attitudes towards war.  France finds that many of the early martyrs of the church were military men, and while that some did renounce their military life, others were not pacifists.  For example, the Lives of many Bishops show that they continued to act as soldiers even after they became clerics, and their was support in these works for violence against non-Christians, such as the Vikings.  Meanwhile, the writers of these Saints' Lives also emphasized the sanctity and special position of the clergy, so that their religious community would know that, while war itself cannot be condemned, that they should try to remain away from taking part in these activities as much as possible.  

    One theme within these Lives of Saints are the concerns about aiding people effected by war, such as refugees.  France also finds that these sources can sometimes provide information about logistics and military settlements.  After his presentation, Kelly DeVries and Bernard S. Bachrach gave some responses, which generally dealt with how historians of medieval military history can make use of a wide variety of sources for their studies.  

Session II: Early Medieval Military History

Presider: Kelly DeVries, Loyola College

"From Predators to Prey: Warfare in Early Medieval Ireland", David Beougher, United States Military Academy

Beougher examines changes in Irish warfare before the 12th century, starting with the period known as the 'Heroic Age'.  The warfare during this time was more ritualistic, where warriors fought for reputation and glory, not conquest. Much of the military action was done through raiding, and that it was rare to have hand-to-hand fighting.  The use of throwing spears was more popular in combat, and the sword was used as a weapon of last resort.  Consequently, swords were often significantly smaller than those items found on the continent, and warfare was generally less deadly.

    As the Roman Empire defeated the Celts and established control over parts of Britain, their presence changed many military practices in Ireland.  Beougher finds that the Irish began adopting swords that were very similar to Roman types, and that the use of chariots seems to have been abandoned.  It is also very likely that Irish soldiers were recruited into Roman ranks by 80 AD.  

    The arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, and then the Vikings, would bring further changes to Irish warfare, with the local population adopting Viking weapons, such as the axe, by the 9th century, as they struggled to defend their country from the Norsemen.

"The Equine Epidemic of 791 and Its Impact on Charlemagne's Army", Carroll Gillmor

Gillmor explains how in 791, Charlemagne called up a large number of cavalry, between 30,000 and 35,000 horses, for his campaign against the Avars, but that some kind of disease wiped out more than half the mounts.  This would cause the Carolingian leader to change his military plans over the next four years, which would be how long it would take for new horses to be bred and properly trained for military use. These problems were further exacerbated in 793, when a smaller Carolingian army that had about 2,500 mounts was annihilated by the Saxons. With military operations limited, Charlemagne used this period to concentrate on building projects, such as a canal between the Rhine and Danube.  Meanwhile, his own movements and travel was very limited, since he lack enough horses for his retinue.  

Edward E. Cox, of Iowa State University, and Paolo de Vingo, of the University of Torino, were both unable to attend to give their presentations.

Session III: High Medieval Military History

Presider: John France, University of Wales at Swansea

"Through the Mouth of a Saint: Popular Piety and Class Consciousness in Two Accounts of the Discovery of the Holy Lance", Mike Ryan, University of Minnesota

Ryan examine the narratives regarding the discovery of the Holy Lance at the siege of Antioch in 1098, during the First Crusade.  While some medieval contemporaries were very positive about the story, where Peter of Bartholomew was visited by Saint Andrew, and then found the Holy Lance, other writers, such as Ralph of Caen, were very hostile to this account.  In Ralph's portrayal of events, he casts doubt on whether or not the visions of Saint Andrew were true.  Meanwhile, these accounts reveal some tension between the leaders of the crusade, and the lower classes of men who came on the campaign as well.  The fact that it was a lowly figure who made the discovery could be interpreted by contemporaries as an indictment against the higher classes.

"Henry II in Wales: The Strategic Fiascos of 1157 and 1165", John Hosler, University of Delaware

Hosler re-examines previous ideas about Henry II's campaigns against Wales.  While some have argued that the English King had gone into his wars with the Welsh unprepared and with little knowledge of his enemies tactics.  But Hosler reminds us that Henry did have experience in military combatant along the Marches, and he could also rely on information from his relatives and supporters about how to deal with the Welsh.  Hosler goes on to analyze the two campaigns, and in both he found that while Henry's plans were bold and ambitious, they were also fundamentally sound.  In both cases, he was able to discern the Welsh positions, but largely because of the failures of his own soldiers to execute their king's commands, the two campaigns failed to defeat the rebellious Welsh.

"Military Logistics during the Reign of Alfonso XI", Nicholas Agrait, Fordham University

Agrait looks at an area of military history that has been overlooked by Spanish historians, namely logistics, or how castles and armies were supplied with food and other necessities.  Although source evidence for Castile is much smaller than from England, one can find enough information to make some estimates about the logistical demands made by armies.  For example, during a nine-month siege, a Castillian army of around 6,600 soldiers would have needed between 11,000 and 28,000 metric tons of food, and would have needed 310 carts to move these supplies.  Agrait also examines the supply needs of castles, which were provisioned by both the royal government and by neighbouring territories.  

Michael McGrath was unable to attend to give his presentation.

Session IV: Late Medieval Military History

Presider: Steven Walton, Michigan Technological University

"The St. Omer Chronicle on Henry of Grosmont's Campaigns", Clifford J. Rogers, United States Military Academy

Using the St.Omer Chronicle, a source that has been previously unused in examining the Hundred Years War, and other chronicle evidence, Clifford Rogers analyzes the 1345 campaign by Henry of Grosmont, the first Duke of Lancaster, in the Bordeaux region.  After having his army move to an area that allows the English to keep the two main French armies from joining up, Henry leads his forces against the town of Bergerac.  Here he draws out 1,600 men-at-arms from the French garrison and leads them into a battle, where the French cavalry get entrapped, in what Rogers terms "the box of death", and is destroyed.  Henry follows this victory up by taking the French city and several other victories in the area.  Henry's profits from this victory are so large that he is able to build the Savoy palace outside of London for a cost of £35,000 (at a time when Henry's current estates were producing an annual revenue of £8000).  

"Boucicaut: Chivalric Hero or Complete Mercenary?", David S. Hoornstra

Hoornstra evaluates the career of Boucicaut, c.1366–1421, marshal of France and crusader against the Ottoman Turks, whose real name was Jean III le Meingre.  Captured by Ottoman Sultan Beyazid I at Nicropolis (1396), he was ransomed. He was governor (1401–7) of Genoa, then under French rule, was captured by the English at Agincourt (1415), and died in England.  The career of Boucicaut can be more carefully studied as a biography of him was written around 1404-9.

 "The Hidden Book of Deeds of Arms and Chivalry", Matthieu Chan Tsin, Purdue University

Chan Tsin's paper tries to show that the famous work by Christine de Pisan was not intended as a guide for knights on how to conduct war, but rather was a treatise against warfare.  He finds that in the Book of Deeds of Arms and Chivalry there are several passages by Pisan where she condemns the collateral damages of war, especially when done against civilians and non-combatants.  Pisan also tries to state that the right to go to warfare is strictly limited to kings and princes, and that private feuds are illegal.  Furthermore, she tries to put in place a series of rules to restrict warfare and damages it causes.

"The Diplomat in the Painting: Edward Grimston of England", A. Compton Reeves, Ohio University

Reeves examines a painting done in the mid-15th century, by a Bruges painter named Petrus Christus.  The portrait is of Edward Grimston, an English diplomat who was involved in the struggle between England, France and Burgundy during this period.  The portrait shows that Grimston was in Bruges, where he acted as spy for the English.

Session V: Topics in Medieval Military History: Technology, Training, and the Soldier in the Late and the Late Late Middle Ages

Presider: David Beougher, United States Military Academy

"Taccola's Ideas for Naval Warfare: Fantastic or Practical?", Susan Rose, University of Surrey Roehampton

Taccola was a Sienese engineer, born in 1382, who wrote and illustrated a book about tactics and machines for warfare.  Although some of his ideas, such as placing pots of burning materials on top of dogs and sending them against opposing enemy lines, were farfetched, many of his plans for trebuchets and siege machines were conservative.  But Rose finds that his ideas for naval warfare were more unique, with one ship design having a roof under which crossbowmen could be placed.  Although these plans were mostly impractical, Taccola was trying to address the problems faced by those engaged in naval warfare, which in the early fourteenth-century, was mostly where the crews tried to kill each other, and not attack the ship itself.  This type of warfare would change by the end of the fourteenth-century, with the use of guns on ships, but during Taccola's time, artillery had yet to make its appearance in navies, and his writings show no sign of them either.

"The Militia of Mdina (1350-1530)", Theresa M. Vann, Hill Monastic Manuscript Library

Vann examines the role of the local militias in the defence of Malta, an island that would see a great deal of conflict in the fourteenth century and would be become a bulwark against Islamic armies in the fifteenth and sixteenth-centuries.  The town councils on the island were given a great deal of authority to maintain the militias and defensive works, and in a militia roll from 1417, it was found that 1,677 men were in the militias that guarded the coasts from a series of towers.  The island also needed constant infusions of money and men from Sicily to maintain these defences, and the crown, weary of the high costs involved in this, donated the island to the Hospitallers in 1530.

"The Gunner in Tudor Literature", Steven Walton, Michigan Technological University

In order to understand technologies, we need not only understand their material components and operating principles and procedures, but how they were used.  As an extension of this idea, it is also instructive to know how technologies, and technologists, are perceived by wider society.  Consequently, one way to get a handle on how artillery, the new 'war-winning weapon' of the later 16th century, came to be understood by society, we can turn to literature as a guide to see how the *gunners* were treated.  First, it should be noted that most of the time the gunners are *not* treated at all, suggesting that for all its importance, the operators of artillery never truly captured the public literary imagination in the same way that later technologists (aviators and astronauts, for example) managed to do.  Through an examination of an early anonymous play, two high-Tudor works by shining stars of the English literary pantheon (Shakespeare and Spenser), and one late public triumph, we can begin to suggest [pardon the pun] the trajectory of gunners’ place in society.  Ultimately, the path we see from this small sample is from a position of xenophobic ridicule to a brief flash or proto-professionalization, to a necessary, but minor public persona.

"The Stuart Connection with Maurice of Nassau: English Generals Learning their Craft", Jay Roberts

To be added soon.

Other sessions involving medieval military history held during the Congress

Medieval Tradition of Natural Law

"La Casa in War as a Last Resort", Paul Cornish, Grand Valley State University

Islam and the Crusades - Nur al-Din as a Paradigmatic Figure

"Ibn Asakir as an Advocate of Nur al-Din's Jihad", James E. Lindsay, Colorado State Univ.

"Nur al-Din's Charitable Works: Sadaqa or Policy?", Yaacov Lev, Bar-Ilan Univ.

"Nur al-Din and the Sectarian Other", Sumaiya Hamdani, George Mason Univ.

"The Cult of the Ruler: Nur al-Din and His Biographers", Adam Sabra

Land, Sea, Borders, and War: Politics of Control in Medieval Scotland

Sponsor: Scottish Studies
Organizer: Bruce R. Homann, Independent Scholar
Presider: Kenneth G. Madison, Iowa State Univ.

"Writing History from the Border: The Chronicon de Lanercost, the Abject, and the Battle of Bannockburn", Mark Bruce, Univ. of Iowa

"The Recovery of David II, King of Scotland (1329–1371)", Bruce R. Homann

"Sex, Lies, but No Videotape: Scottish Clergy in the Late Middle Ages", Elizabeth Dennis, Iowa State Univ.

Heroes of the Middle Ages

"William Marshall: Exemplar of a New Knightly Ideal?", Susan E. Kronenfeld, Univ. of Toronto

Archaeology of the Medieval Mediterranean I

"The Harim Castle Project: A Fortified Settlement in North Syria during the Age of the Crusades", Sauro Gelichi, Univ. di Ca'Foscari, Venice

Topics in Ottonian Art and History I

"Saints, Pagans, and War in the Early Middle Ages", David Warner, Rhode Island School of Design

Crusades and Crusaders I

Sponsor: Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East
Organizer: James A. Brundage, Univ. of Kansas
Presider: James A. Brundage

"The Apocalyptic Dimension of Crusading Passions", Richard Landes, Boston Univ.

"Were the Templars Unimaginative? Attempts to Recover the Holy Land, 1300-1302", Paul Crawford, Alma College

"War, Penance, and the First Crusade: Dealing with a Tyrannical Construct", Janus Møller Jensen, Univ. of Copenhagen

De Re Metallica II. Metals for Mars: Military Uses of Metals

"A Replica of the Sutton Hoo Sword", Scott Lankton, Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America

"The Glancing Surface and Its Effect on Fourteenth-Century Armor", Douglas Strong, Glenbrook High School

"What's the Point? A Metallurgical Insight into Medieval Arrows", David Starley, Royal Armouries Museum

Crusades and Crusaders II

"Charlemagne and the First Crusade",Jace Stuckey, Univ. of Florida

"Crusading as Heresy: Vladimiri's Critique of the Teutonic Knights at the Council of Constance, 1415-1417", Timothy M. Brennan, Univ. of Kansas

"Food and the Fourth Crusade", Thomas F. Madden, St. Louis Univ

Medieval Denmark: Newest Currents

"Toward a Danish Crusade Theology: Archbishop Anders Sunesen on Taking the Cross to Follow Christ", Ane Bysted, South Danish Univ., Odense

"Forts and Power in Viking-Age Denmark and Russia", Davide Zori, Univ. of Florida

Arthurian Warfare and Battles

"Depictions of Fourteenth-Century Warfare in the Alliterative Morte Arthure", John William Sutton, Univ. of Rochester

"Understanding Arthur and the Battle of Badon", Christopher Snyder, Marymount Univ.

"Two Views of Fifteenth-Century Warfare in Malory's Morte", Lisa Robeson, Bluffton College

Medieval Sermon Studies I

"Wartime Rhetoric and the Other: Battlefield Orations and Sermons against Muslims and Pagans", David Bachrach, Univ. of Notre Dame

Historical European Martial Arts-A What?? Introduction, Interpretation, Practice I

"Scholars or Scoundrels: The Role of the Professional Master-at-Arms in High and Late Medieval Europe", Gregory D. Mele, Chicago Swordplay Guild

"A Medieval Martial Arts System: The Internal Organization of Fiore dei Liberi's Fior di battaglia", Bob Charron, St. Martin Academy of Medieval Arts

Warfare and Violence in the Middle Stages of the Hundred Years War: A Session in Memory of James L. Gillespie

"And the Lord struck them in the asses": Bishop Despenser's "Crusade" in Flanders, 1382", Kelly DeVries, Loyola College in Maryland

"Going to the Wars: Thomas, Lord Morley in France in 1416", Philip Morgan, Westminster College

"France and Its Reactions to Defeat and Victory in the Middle Stages of the Hundred Years War", Craig D. Taylor, Univ. of York

Historical European Martial Arts-A What?? Introduction, Interpretation, Practice II

The Session will offer a hands-on demonstration of the techniques discussed in their previous session. Demonstrators: Gregory D. Mele and Bob Charron.

Human Economy and Natural Environment in the Middle Ages I: Environmental Challenges and Adaptations in Early Medieval Europe

"The Tears of St. Lawrence: The Role of Climate and Environment in the Outcome of the Battle of Lechfeld", Charles R. Bowlus, University of Arkansas-Little Rock

Intertextuality and the Medieval Landscape

"Welsh Rebellion and the Appropriation of Wilderness Landscapes", Stephen Yandell, Indiana University

Please also check the web site for The International Congress on Medieval Studies for more infomation.

Last updated: May 11, 2002